Canada Series Canceled

Editorial Staff04 Aug 2017 20 Mar 20180 comments

NBA Remains Committed to Canada Series Amid Schedule Changes

It has become an NBA custom for the Toronto Raptors to play exhibition games in multiple Canadian cities during the preseason, but this year that custom will be paused.

With the NBA planning to lengthen rest between games and extend the NBA season by two weeks, that has directly impacted the length of the league’s preseason. The usual seven or eight game preseason will be cut down to four or five games therefore cutting out the possibility of a Canada Series this fall.

“We remain committed to the NBA Canada Series and to bringing NBA games to multiple Canadian markets in the years to come,” Dan MacKenzie, NBA Canada’s vice-president and managing director, said. “Basketball and the NBA’s popularity in Canada is at an all-time high, and we look forward to bringing new NBA events, clinics and player appearances to almost every province across the country leading up to and during the 2017-18 season,”

Over the past number of years, the Raptors played exhibition games in Vancouver, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Montreal.

On Thursday, the Raptors announced that they will play five preseason games with only one in Toronto.

The NBA is expected to announce their full regular season schedule in the next week or two.